Apparatus for applying closures to jars or like containers



May 13, 1958 K. A. ROBINSON APPARATUS FDR APPLYING CLOSURES TO JARS OR LIKE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1955 INVENTOR ll s/rfi lqz-ixfilvalfl? IZJB/A/{ON ATTORNEY May 13, 1958 K. A. ROBINSON APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO JARS OR LIKE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet' 2 Filed June 13, 1955 uw q May 13, 1958 K. A. ROBINSON APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES T0 JARS 0R LIKE CONTAINERS Filed June 13, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV EN-roiz KE/ TH Hz saw/v0 5k Rea/1v: 0

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO JARS OR LIKE CONTAINERS Keith Alexander Robinson, Chalfont, St. Peter, England, assignor to The Paper Cap Manufacturing Company Limited, Bedfont, England Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,144 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 14, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl. 53-293) This invention provides improved apparatus for automatically applying elastically stretchable cup-like closure caps to jars or like containers.

In accordance with the invention, apparatus for this purpose includes an annular capping head adapted to be passed over the mouth of a container and comprising a body having a central aperture therein, a plurality of fingers spaced around said body and each pivotally mounted thereon, said fingers having free ends which project into the central aperture of the body and can be engaged within a cup-like closure cap, and means carried on the body for rotat ng said fingers about their respective pivots, whereby to move the free ends of the fingers apart and stretch the closure.

The preferred form of apparatus in accordance with the invention includes a horizontally disposed annular capping head adapted to be lowered vertically over the mouth of a container to be capped and comprising a body having a central aperture therein, a plurality of horizontally disposed fingers spaced around said body and each pivotally mounted thereon about a vertical axis, said fingers eX- tending into the central aperture of the body and having upwardly projecting free ends adapted to be engaged within the flange of a cup-like closure cap, and means carried on the body for rotating said fingers about their respective pivots, whereby to move the free ends of the fingers apart and stretch the closure cap.

Further features and advantages or" the invention will appear from the following description of one particular embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a part sectional side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the capping head, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the capping head.

This machine includes an endless belt conveyor 1, which carries at intervals along its length a number of jam jars to be closed, the conveyor being driven from a sprocket 3 mounted on the fixed frame 4 of the machine. A step by step movement is imparted to the conveyor through the agency of a driving wheel 5 having a projecting arm 6 on its periphery, and at Geneva cross mechanism, shown generally by '7, the wheel 5 being driven by an electric motor 8.

' Disposed above the conveyor is a capping head of annular form shown generally by 9. This head is carried on a mounting plate it which is secured to the upper ends of two vertical posts 11 which are guided for vertical movement by sleeves on the frame 4. The posts are pivotally connected by means of a link 12 to an operating lever 31 which is fulcrumed at 13, its free end being slotted and en aged with an eccentrically positioned pin 14- on the wheel 5. The mechanism is arranged to operate in such a way that the capping head will be lowered over a jar (which is temporarily stationary), and

2,834,170 Patented May 13, 1958 raised again, the conveyor being then moved to bring the next jar beneath the head. As shown in Figure 2, the capped jars are directed by means of a guide 16 on to a substantially circular platform 17.

The capping head 9, shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4 comprises an annular base 18, and an annular cover 19, which parts are formed to provide a space between them. Journalled in the hollow body are sixteen vertically disposed pivot members 26, each of which carries a capstretching finger 21, whose inner end is bent upwardly and formed with a spherical enlargement 22. Each pivot member also carries a tail member 23 which extends outwards through the space between the base and the cover. The tail member is formed with a longitudinal slot into which there projects a pin 24 carried on a ring 25 which is rotatably arranged in a circular track or groove formed in the base. It will be seen that by rotating the ring 25 in the appropriate direction, the fingers 21 will be moved from a closed position (shown in full lines in Figure 4), in which they are substantially radially disposed, to an open position (shown dotted) in which they lie substantially tangentially to the central aperture in the head, their inner ends during this movement lying on circles of increasing diameter.

It is arranged that the fingers are progressively opened during the descent of the capping head, and progressively closed during its upward stroke. This can be achieved in any one of a variety of different ways, the one shown in the drawings employing a cam action. The ring 25 carries a pin 26 which projects downwards through an arcuate slot in the underside of the base 18, and is connected by means of an arm 27 to arm 23 which carries rollers 29 which run on a fixed cam surface 30.

in operation an elastically stretchable cap is placed over the upturned inner ends of the fingers 21 as shown in Figure 3, the fingers being in the closed position, and the head lying at the top of its stroke. During the descent of the head, the cap is progressively stretched by the fingers, and its central portion is ultimately engaged with the rim of a jar. Continued downward movement of the capping head withdraws the fingers from the cap, so that the wall or skirt of the latter immediately contracts elastically onto the neck of the jar below the rim beading. The head is raised clear of the jar (the fingers being progressively closed, as described) and the conveyor is operated to move the next un-capped jar into position beneath the head, when the operation is repeated.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying elastically stretchable cuplike closure caps to containers, including a horizontally disposed annular capping head comprising a hollow annular body surrounding a central space open on its upper and lower sides, a plurality of horizontally disposed fingers spaced around the space of said body and each pivotally mounted thereon about a vertical axis, said fingers extending in a common horizontal planeinto the central space of the body and having free inner ends which project above said body and terminate in spherical enlargements adapted to engage the inside of the depending flange of a cup-like closure cap, operating means disposed within said hollow body for simultaneously rotating all of said fingers about their respective pivots, a support for a container to be capped disposed beneath said capping head, said capping head and said support being relatively movable in a vertical direction, and means for moving said operating means in one direction upon an approaching movement of said capping head and support, whereby to move the free ends of the fingers out wards and stretch the closure cap, and for moving said operating means in the reverse direction upon a separating movement of said capping head and support, whereby to return the free ends of the fingers inwards,

. 2. Apparatus for applying elastically stretchable cuplike closure caps to containers comprising an annular capping head, said capping head comprising a horizontally disposed annular base, a horizontally disposed annular cover co-operating with said base *to form a substantially closed hollow annular body-surrounding a central space open on its upper and lower sides, a'plurality of vertical pivot members spaced around the axis of said body and journalled in said base and cover with the upper ends of said pivot members projecting upwardly'through said cover, a finger carried on the upper end of each of said pivot members and projecting inwardly over said central space, the inner free end of each finger being upturned to provide a cap-engaging portion, a tailmember carried by each of said pivot members andprojecting outwardly within saidhollow body, the outer end of each tail member being formed with a longitudinal slot, a ring supported within said hollow body for rotation about the axis thereof, a plurality of pins carried by said ring and engaging the slots in saidtail members, and an operating 1 member carried by said ring and projecting outsidesaid hollow body, a container support located below said cap ping head, means for producing relative vertical movement of said capping head and said container-support, and means responsive to such movement tor-moving said operating member to rotatesaid ring and thereby to rotate said pivot members about their respective axes, relative approaching movement of said capping head andcontainer support causing outward movement of the upturned ends of said fingers and relative separating movement of said 5 capping head and container support causing inward movement ofthe upturned ends-of said fingers.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the free all the diameterofsaid'outline bei-ngcon trolled by themovement of said operating means for rotating said fingers.

4, Apparatus for applying elastically stretchable cuplike closure caps to containers, said apparatus comprising a horizontally extending conveyor adapted to support containers to be capped at spaced intervals therealong, a horizontally disposed annular capping head mounted for vertical reciprocation at a point along the length of said conveyor, isaid cappinghead including a body having a central aperturetherein, a'plurality of horizontally disposed fingers spaced around the-aperture in said body and each pivotally mounted thereon about a vertical axis, said fingers extending into the central aperture of the body and shaving freednner tends projecting above said body and adapted to be engaged by the inner depending wall of a closure cap, means carried-on'the body for rotating said fingers about their respective pivots thereby to move thetfree ends of the fingers apart ina horizontal general plane and stretch the closure cap, and driving means operating automatically to cfiYect step by step advance of said conveyor, for vertically downward and upward moving the capping headafter each advance of the conveyor and rotating the fingers of the capping head to stretch a cap =carried thereon at each downward movement of the capping'head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,033,238 Geyeret al Mar. 10, 1936 2,149,377 Winslow Mar. 7, 1939 2,178,429 Lowry Oct. 31, 1939 

